Research Alumni

The following individuals studied or worked in the Environmental Archaeology Program for an extended period. This list is still preliminary, and we will soon be adding visiting researchers and photos. If you are/know of an alumnus not currently listed or have information regarding an almunus, please let us know. We welcome additional photos, publications, and research updates.

Jones, Sharyn
Degree: Ph.D Anthropology, 2004
Dissertation Title: The socioeconomics of rank in late prehistoric and contemporary Fiji: An exploration of ethnographic and archaeological indicators
Current Affiliation: Faculty, Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Email: sharynj@uab.edu

Kay, Michael
Degree: M.A. Anthropology, 2010
Thesis Title: Zooarchaeology and Human-Environment Interactions at Pre-Columbian Sitio Drago, Panama
EAP Museum Research: Zooarchaeology and human-environment relationships at a Pre-Columbian village site in Pre-Columbian Bocas del Toro, Panama; zooarchaeology at the Moche site of Pampa Grande in the northern coast of Peru.
Current Research: My current research projects include the cultural preservation, community-based revitalization, and historical archaeology at California’s historic sites and neighborhoods, including Spanish-era missions and ranches, ethnic districts, and well-known cultural areas that have included Downtown Fresno, Downtown Los Angeles, parks throughout Los Angeles, and Missions San Buenaventura and La Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (two of the 21 original Spanish missions out here), among other sites.

Marrinan, Rochelle
Degree: Ph.D Anthropology, 1979
Dissertation Title: Ceramics, Mollusks, and Sedentism: The Late Archaic Period on the Georgia Coast
Current Affiliation: Faculty, Anthropology, Florida State University
Email: rmarrina@fsu.edu

Mathurin, Kim
EA Employee: Curation (2006-2007)

McEwan, Bonnie G.
Degree: Ph.D Anthropology, 1988
Dissertation Title: An archaeological perspective of sixteenth century Spanish life in the Old World and the Americas
Current Affiliation: Florida Department of State, Mission San Luis Executive Director
Email: Bonnie.McEwan@DOS.MyFlorida.com

Olson, Elizabeth J.
Degree: BA Anthropology and Geology, 2011
Honors Thesis Title: Zoometric Breed Analysis and Isotopic Paleodietary Recontruction of the Maya Dog
Current Affiliation: Graduate Student, University of Maine M.S. Quaternary and Climate Studies
Current Research: I am currently studying the effects of the mid-Holocene El Niño hiatus (from 9,000- 5,800 cal BP) on the development of early Andean civilizations and their environments on the north coast of Peru. This research is an expansion of my masters thesis research with Dr. Daniel H. Sandweiss at the University of Maine.
Past Research: As an undergraduate my honors thesis research focused on the zooarchaeology and paleodiet of the prehispanic Maya dog from several archaeological sites. This research was done with my mentors Dr. Kitty Emery and Dr. John Krigbaum using the EAP zooarchaeology collections at FLMNH. During my time at the University of Florida I was fortunate to be a collections assistant under the direction of Donna Ruhl in the EAP archaeobotany lab at the FLMNH.
Email: elizabeth.olson@maine.edu

VanDyke, Ryan
Degree: MA Anthropology, 2011
Thesis Title: Zooarchaeology of San Juan del Puerto Mission site
Past Research: My masters research compares the zooarchaeological samples from various spatial contexts within the San Juan del Puerto site in an attempt to determine differences and similarities in the vertebrate components of the diet. The expression of identity through food choices was the main research focus of this project. Other past projects include the analysis of two articulated pig skeletons recovered from the Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island, Florida and the curation rehabilitation on the zooarachaeological and photo collections from the Pineland Complex, Pine Island, Florida.
Current Affiliation: Architectural Historian, Cultural Resource Management
Email: ryanmvan5@ufl.edu